Five Times Danny Told Rusty
by miss-mika-mi
Summary: <html><head></head>"Five Times Danny Told Rusty He Wasn't Going Anywhere And One Time He Didn't Have To". Danny/Rusty slash. I do not own the movie or the characters.</html>
1. Chapter 1

It was a night of firsts. It was the first night Rusty was officially an adult, and the first time (and, if Danny would have anything to say about it, the last) Rusty really cried. It also happened to be the first time Danny said those words.

He looked up at the younger man, whose bloodshot eyes glistened with unspoken tears. "Rusty, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere."

At that, Rusty had collapsed into the bed with him and curled up in a tiny knot on his chest. Danny reacted purely on instinct, curling around the quivering mass and squeezing him tight.

A large hand knocked at the door, making Rusty shriek and hold onto him tighter. Danny rubbed his hand comfortingly up and down Rusty's spine, whispering the gentlest words he could muster while he tried to decide on the best way to punish the monster that had caused this. The knock came again, louder this time, and Rusty's whines correspondently increased in pitch.

"Rusty," he cooed, "Rusty, Rusty…"

Rusty buried his head in Danny's chest, tucking it under his arm, and refused to come out. Danny was then left to face the beast at the door alone.

Danny didn't catch all of the tirade, but with the combination of suspicious glances, pointing fingers, and the few words he could decipher (namely "gay", "not my son", and "disown") he got the gist.

An unusually protective instinct kicked in and the next thing he remembered was carrying a tear-ridden Rusty out to his car and climbing into the driver's seat with the younger man still strapped around his waist. Neither Rusty nor Danny looked back on the looming mass that had once been the younger's home. It wasn't a long drive to Danny's downtown flat, but Rusty refused to budge an inch the entire time. Not that Danny minded.

He brought the car to a gentle stop in the parking lot and turned to address Rusty, who simply tightened his grip and stayed stolid. Danny resorted to leaning down and lying a kiss on the teary cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Another late night at one of their favorite haunts, filled with the same sidelong glances, "accidental" touches and unspoken promises. About four beers into this, Rusty decided that those four combined with the two he had downed earlier was not the best combination for his poor bladder.

"'ll be right back, Danny," he promised, gingerly lying his fifth—or seventh, depending on how you counted it—aside.

Danny flashed him a dangerous cockeyed grin that promised more than it said. "'m not going anywhere, Rus."

Half expecting to be followed, Rusty sauntered into the back. Slightly to his dismay, no one followed him, but he recalled the grin Danny had given him and hurried back.

When he returned to their table, it was empty. Danny called him over from the bar. "Hey, Rusty, this is Tess. Rusty, Tess. Tess, Rusty."


	3. Chapter 3

Rusty managed to drag Danny (who, in his opinion, wasn't near drunk enough to be hitting on anyone other than himself) out of the bar before he got further than the girl's name, favorite drink, and number, which was, in fact, far too far. The cab driver seemed to purposefully be driving in laps around the city, and Danny's insistent ranting about she-who-shall-not-be-named didn't help his mood.

Danny finally seemed to realize why Rusty was so on edge as they tumbled into bed together.

"Rus," he whispered soothingly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Two months later, he moved out.


	4. Chapter 4

Just between Danny and Rusty, the job was a cover-up, though an intricate and well-crafted one if they did say so themselves, with the object being covered the fact that they had been apart for months and Rusty was pretty sure he could've gotten off on the sound of Danny's voice at this point, and the cover itself being a bank job. Neither of them spoke for the longest time in the café, and the waiter felt entirely uncomfortable walking past their table, much less interrupting what appeared to be an endless staring contest to get their orders. As it was, once he built up the courage to stop by, they didn't even bother to stay for the dinner itself, leaving a tip on the table for his efforts but not bothering to pay the bill itself.

Rusty was on Danny the second they came into sight of their hotel room door. The elderly couple down the hall scurried by awkwardly, tugging their floral luggage behind them as fast their creaking legs would bring them. Danny, who was the one of the pair who had the clarity of mind to notice such things, chuckled and drew Rusty back through the door.

Rusty's hands were everywhere all at once, pulling him close and pushing him back in the same motion, tugging, grasping, squeezing, because this was Danny and he couldn't, just couldn't keep his hands off. He dropped to his knees and tried to drag Danny down with him, but, much to his horror, Danny remained standing. He looked up with a mixture of a slurred protest, a plea, and a question. Danny, for an answer, took him by the arm and led him to the couch. He searched out a pair of sodas before joining him there.

"We've got time, Rus," he explained as he popped open a can and handed it over, "I'm not going anywhere."


	5. Chapter 5

It was later that same night as they were tangled together on the king-sized bed. Detaching from the mess of blankets and Rusty's clinging limbs proved no small feat, but, with some caution, Danny managed to get comfortable again, spooning up around Rusty's back.

A few hours later, his phone rang. When he hung up, Rusty was watching him curiously, already looking defeated.

"Don' worry, Rus," he drawled as he laid back down, "'m not goin' anywhere."

Rusty woke up the next morning to a cold bed and a note.

"_Rus,_

_Tess called. Job's off. Sorry._

_Danny."_


	6. And one to grow on

This time was different from all of the times before for many reasons, but four struck Rusty immediately. One, it was entirely unannounced, and, secondly, Danny showed up at his flat, not a hotel room with his credit card number on the bill. Thirdly, there was no ring on Danny's finger, in his pocket, or anywhere on him, nor was there that cursed phone. Finally, and most importantly, Danny came, not in a taxi, but in a small moving van.

Rusty didn't ask what the final straw had been. Either Danny would tell him what was wrong or he wouldn't. He just stepped forward, laid a tiny kiss on his cheek and asked him if he was alright with taupe or if they would have to paint the bedroom.

Danny's only response was to heave a content sigh and kiss him back.


	7. Epilogue

Indisputably, Rusty's favorite thing about Danny living with him was the cuddling. Sure, the sex was good (okay, the sex was better than good, but still…) but nothing could top the reassuring feel of Danny pressing against him, underscoring the fact that he was here and, at long last, here to stay. 

Danny had decided a moment ago that this was the single happiest he had ever been in his life. Rusty's legs were looped around his just so he could feel every twitch in each perfect muscle. After a slight tousle, he had claimed the preferred spot against his lover's back.

Rusty turned his head sideways and puckered his lips. Oh yeah, Danny thought as he leaned forward, definitely the best moment of his life. 

Rusty had changed his mind. Cuddling was amazing, but the sex was necessary. He began to disentangle himself from Danny, who promptly whined a protest.

Rusty leaned in and pressed a kiss to Danny's temple. "Don't worry, Danny, I'm not going anywhere."

The way Danny pinned him down after he said that, he probably wouldn't have been able to go anywhere if he had wanted to.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em> Yeah, sappy epilogue, I know. I just couldn't resist.


End file.
